


The Little Green Monster

by orphan_account



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Jealousy, jealous!emma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-12
Updated: 2013-12-12
Packaged: 2018-01-04 10:06:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1079688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regina and Tink have been getting close (Regina has friends?) and Emma can’t abide by that. One shot. Swan queen. Vaguely Queen/Tinkerbell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Little Green Monster

 

There’s a way people treat their friends, Emma knows and then there’s a way you look at someone you might want in _other_ ways. And Emma knows a lot about those looks as well, she got good at that when she was working bails bonds. After Charming—her dad—had whispered, “ _Find us_ ” before sending her off to a strange and foreign land… Maine – she had become very interested in the career of locating and capturing people. Which meant being involved with people and how they look when they want this or that or what their various expressions may mean.

So when she waits at Grannies for David and Mary-Margaret to bring by Henry for dinner… she didn’t expect to see Tinkerbell and the ex-mayor of their little town sitting together and making _looks_. Those kinds of looks. Like two friends who also wouldn’t mind seeing each other naked.

Regina and Tink were holding menus up but laughing at this or that joke. She couldn’t really hear them and it wasn’t like she’d _care_ what Regina and Tink were up to but…it was starting to make her uncomfortable.

And hadn’t Tink wanted to kill her in Neverland? It wasn’t that long ago. Now they’re here sipping wine and eating dinner? Emma also found it troubling that Regina was laughing so much. Who knew she could laugh that much? Who knew someone could make her that happy…

Emma sighed and turned towards her own menu, hoping to get her mind off of that course of thought. Luckily, Ruby was here tonight.

            “Hey Emma, is it just you or should I expect more?”

            “Mary-Margaret and David are coming over with Henry.”

            “Oh-okay, I’ll be right back then…” Ruby turned around to leave and Emma realized she was going to be alone again.

            “Wait—” she reached out a hand to get her attention but Ruby was already gone. She looked over at the other table, feeling like she couldn’t look away at this point. Tink had her hand on Regina’s arm. She took it away made another joke then patted it again. She looked over in Emma's direction and then laughed. 

Emma was walking over to their table before she even had really stopped to think about it.

            “Regina. Tink.” She said, nodding to each briefly. They both looked up from their glasses of wine in surprise.

            “Well Miss Swan, I wasn’t expecting you to come over… but welcome to girl night,” Regina let out. Emma was surprised at how jovial that actually sounded. Where was the ex-queen with her cutting remarks and evil wit? Emma made no face at it however but slipped in beside Tink. Hoping that she might interrupt this little foray into friendship (and more) they were having.

            “Regina was just telling me about you…” Tink said with a smile.

            Emma had to refrain from rolling her eyes. “Oh really, Tinkerbell?”

            “And how you got really drunk off of the Christmas eggnog,” Tink was giggling with a hand in front of her mouth. Emma looked over at Regina pointedly but she saw only a hint of a smile on Regina’s face… though her eyes seemed to shining in amusement.

            “One glass, Miss Swan… I didn’t realize you were such a light weight.”

            “I didn’t realize you were so into ‘girls night’.” Emma bit back.

            “Only when I find some _decent_ company…”

            “OH, because the little green fairy of a magical tropical island is full of great subjects to talk about. I'm sure you love her company _a lot_. As a matter of fact, maybe should I start calling you 'Reginabell'?”

 Emma voice was laced with a little too much bitterness and anger. She looked back at Tink who was in mid-bite of a fry, now mouth open in surprise. She put her fry down indignantly and turned on Emma.

            “What’s your problem?” she asked. But her voice wasn’t hostile, just prodding—and maybe even a little hurt. Suddenly Emma felt bad. She didn’t even know where that had come from… why she’d even pulled a ‘Regina’ in the first place on someone she barely knew.

            “I’m sorry- I shouldn’t have…” 

            “It’s okay, Tink,” Regina smiled and pressed a hand onto Tinkerbell’s comfortingly, “Emma’s always been bad at not knowing when she’s not wanted…”

            “Sure—take _her_ side,” 

            “As opposed to…? Who’s side am I supposed to be taking, Emma?” Regina asked, staring back at her.

            “Mine.” Emma huffed but then she saw Mary-Margaret, David and Henry walking over to the building and decided it didn’t matter if she stayed at this table anyway.

            “But you know what, Regina… you two just enjoy **your date**.” The door opened and Emma walked over to her parents. Henry gave her a big hug. Emma patted his head and leaned into the hug, feeling slightly better about making a fool of herself in front of his co-Mom.

“Hey, Emma.” Snow smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. They found their favorite booth and took a seat but Emma couldn’t help it. She looked back at the table and this time Tink and Regina weren’t so happy—or laughing for that matter. Now they sat awkwardly with their meals unfinished in front of them and their faces blank.

 Maybe she felt a little bad about that.

 

“Do you wanna split a shake?” Henry asked, tugging a menu onto his lap. She looked up and smiled at him.

“Sure, kid. Why don’t you pick the flavor… I have to go fix something real quick.” Emma slid out of the booth and let out a weary sigh. Yeah maybe this would make her look really dumb but she’s supposed to be on the side of good right?

 

She walked over to the table—and as soon as she did, Tink stood up and grabbed her purse angrily.

“I’ll pay you back later, Regina.” She said with a wide smile that came out a little too practiced. She walked quickly past Emma with a flurry of annoyance. Emma watched her leave before hearing the familiar laugh. A deep throated, humorless laugh she’d heard many times when fighting with the evil queen.

“Look Regina,” she slid into the booth quickly, “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have done that I don’t even know why I did.“

“I might hazard a few reasons…” 

Now that Tink was gone she felt better…like they were slipping into their usual, casual conversations. The ones where Emma wasn’t yelling at people she barely knew.  Just yelling at one person. Who at this point, she had to admit, she knew pretty well. As well as anyone knew Regina, Emma figured.

   “Oh… really?” Emma asked. She took a fry from Tink’s discarded plate and dipped it into the ketchup in front of her. Regina leaned forward, teeth bared, “Maybe a little green fairy inspired some other green feelings in you… Miss Swan.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Regina.”

“You only kept your eyes on us the whole time. A little sad, even for you.” She joked.

“Because it was like watching a full-blown train wreck right about to hit. I don’t think you and whatshername are exactly couple of the year.”

Regina raised an eyebrow but this time looked more than just her stone-y faced indifference. She looked genuinely mad.

“What right do you have to decide who I do or do _not_ date, Miss Swan? I’m an adult and if you even mention Henry- who is sitting over there waiting for you by the way… I’ll stand up and leave you with the bill.”

Emma felt her face redden.

“First you say I’m jealous and now you’re mad when I try to tell you how I’m **not** jealous—“

“Tink’s my friend!”

“Yeah cause friends touch each other like this,” Emma rolled her eyes but then pressed a hand to Regina’s forearm. Just like Tink did. But it wasn’t a friend touch at all, she felt a little shiver run down her spine. Emma wanted to throw herself offa building for feeling it but she did. She felt a million things, anger that she’d brought this all up and made Tink leave—guilt that she was leaving her family at a table with no clue what was going on and also..something else. Something she couldn’t really describe that she always felt a little of when she was alone with the evil queen. It seemed to flow naturally between them, whether she was lighting fires to save Bae and Hook’s life or training in the woods with her parents looking on…

Regina looked nervously between Emma and her arm. Like it was about to go off in an explosion. She stiffened up a little but didn’t move the hand.

“You don’t touch your friends at all then?” Regina questioned.

 “Not like I’m about to invite them over for a nightcap.”

 “Walk me through it, Emma… what exactly where Tink and I up to that set you off so much? Was it the diner everyone in this town goes to for every meal of the day or maybe the clothes?”

Emma looked down at Regina’s clothes and it went well against her argument that it was anything out of the ordinary. But she did look _different_. Maybe how she’d imagine Regina was before she was the evil queen… when she was just Regina. She didn’t know much about her then but everything the ex-mayor had brought to the table today was laid-back, kinder and more attentive to Tink’s (probably boring) stories.

“Well you’re not you when You’re with her. You’re a little different.”

“Yes,” Regina replied, “Maybe it’s not a sensation you regularly experience but for those of us who’ve bounced along worlds for so long… maybe having an older friend who knew the old me… brought back some old habits.”

“Yes… you seemed different. Like she brought out another side to you.”

“And friends can’t do that?”

“Well—and the—er, the touching. Tink was very touchy.”

“Fairies,” Regina deadpanned. As if fairies had been touchy-feely her whole life and she was so over it. Which, for all Emma knew, maybe they were.

“Okay, look Regina… I had a job where I met people on a daily basis and got a feel for how people act when they want something or someone—and you two were just…”

Regina’s eyes tracked her lips as she spoke and it made it _very_ distracting to remember what she wanted to say. She folded her arms again and leaned back, suddenly tired. She didn’t want to fight. She just didn’t want Tink around Regina either… can’t she have it both ways?

“Like what?”

“Flirting…”

 

Regina shook her head and then lifted the napkin from her lap. She looked over at Henry who was drinking a strawberry milk-shake, almost half done with that and his meal… at the whole table of Charmings watching and observing them in confusion.

            Then she looked back at Emma and lightly touched her hand this time.

            “I’m going to keep hanging out with Tinkerbell. She’s my friend and maybe you can reconcile that with yourself and maybe not. Maybe you can keep thinking I’m lying to myself, Emma. I have to admit I’m quite good at that or… perhaps,” her hand flipped Emma’s over until her palm faced outwards and then she pushed sharp nails against them. Moving them around in light traces over her skin. It felt so good that Emma let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding in.

            “Perhaps I’m Regina Mills. And I take the things I **Want**. And if I wanted her, I'd have her already.”

Regina let go of her hand abruptly and got out of the booth. Emma watched her leave, Regina’s heels clicking across the floor quietly as she swung the door open and left without another word. 

Then she looked down at the bill. She hadn’t noticed Regina putting money down for her and Tink's meal.

            “Emma! What was that about?” Ruby asked with a half-smirk and a tray full of plates.

Emma looked back up at her, dazed.

            “I… I had to apologize for interrupting their friend night.”

            “Regina has friends?”

             “Apparently.”

 

She went back to her booth and ruffled Henry's hair again. She had no idea how to explain anything that just happened between her and the ex-mayor, but her parents didn’t ask. They all just shared knowing looks between themselves instead.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
